The Martial Arts We Will Train From Now (2)

“Euk!”

“Ackkk!”

Screams erupted from the new monks surrounding them, resulting from the young monks who were indiscriminately wielding their bamboo sticks.

Puak! Kuak! Chak!

From the platform, the elder monks shouted in anger.

“Can’t you keep your mouths shut?! How do you expect to walk the path of Buddhism with such a spirit that cannot even endure this level of hardship?!”

The basic training method of the Iron Clothed Body was to endure and be beaten.

If one was hit repeatedly, the skin would become tougher, and the bones would strengthen as well. But how could that be a martial art that could be mastered in a day or two?

Yu Jinsan was fully aware of Monk Hye Un’s intention. It was his way of ensuring that the disciples were disciplined under the guise of teaching martial arts.

“Euk!”

“TsK!”

More screams escaped.

The area behind Yu Jinsan was no exception. A monk wielding a pole approached.

-Child, just stay behind Grandpa.

No attack could penetrate the strength of a Grand Master.

And as long as Sword Qi wouldn’t be used, Yu Seol would not be injured at all.

However, Yu Jinsan had not come to watch his granddaughter be beaten before his eyes without being able to intervene.

Yu Jinsan, who had spread his arms out in front of the child, formed a shield.

Soon after, the first bamboo stick thrust toward his chest…

Chak!

It was an attack that didn’t have any strength or qi. It didn’t hurt at all, but how could he show that?

“Ack!”

Despite his scream, his legs remained firmly planted. The monk who had struck him smiled with satisfaction and increased the intensity of his blows.

Puak! Ack!

No matter how hard he was hit, Yu Jinsan did not even flinch.

‘I should pretend to be hit enough and then fall.’

As the monks around him fell one by one, there was no reason to hold out until the end.

That was until now.

“You people! How dare you be distracted by the situation before you when you are under attack?”

A shout came from Monk Hye Un, who watched from the platform.

Each person holding a bamboo pole was a master of the new monks there. Perhaps that was why everyone did as they pleased.

But now everything is different.

“From now on, you must defeat the disciples within a count of 10. If you fail, then you will have to undergo face-to-face training with the disciples who couldn’t endure the beating.”

The words he spoke held intense meaning.

There was a story that all the monks who fell here would be dragged into a cave and trained again.

It was said that even Bodhidharma survived for nine years, but in reality, not a single day was an easy task.

Did the master monks also not want to go through that? Suddenly, their eyes changed.

The bamboo pole began to strike the legs of Yu Jinsan mercilessly.

Chuaak!

The intensity of the shock was far different from before. Yet, there was no way he would crumble from this hit.

He continued to block his granddaughter’s path as he looked around, receiving blows.

‘This will not be easy.’

In an instant, half the children had fallen.

And more continued to fall.

“Ahhh!”

“Haaaa!”

The young monks started to collapse with screams, and in time, only a few of them remained.

Before he knew it, two more monks had gathered around him.

He tenaciously shielded Yu Seol from being hit, stretching out his arms and legs at the bamboo poles when necessary.

“Wh-what is with him?”

“Why isn’t he falling?”

The flustered monks kept striking Yu Jinsan on the legs.

With little time left, they became desperate and intensified their blows.

Puak! Puak! Ack!

The battle raged on, but Yu Jinsan wasn’t about to fall at this level.

‘These old bastards are hitting an old man like me…’

As the hits became too much, he noticed his granddaughter clenching her fists.

Did she dislike seeing him get hit? But he couldn’t let her lose control now, so he urgently told her.

-Hold yourself back, Seol. Grandpa is alright.

Before they knew it, only two young disciples stood up, Yu Jinsan and Yu Seol.

The monks wielding the bamboo poles began to charge toward him. If this continued, even protecting her by taking the hits himself would be impossible. And Yu Seol was not one to just stand by and get hit.

Yu Jinsan’s face darkened at that thought.

Monk Hye Un, who had been watching from the platform, changed his expression.

His face, which had contorted like a demon’s, now shifted to a smile.

“Stop!”

At that moment, the training halted at his command.

The monks holding the bamboo sticks stopped and stood upright.

“The act of sacrificing oneself to protect a companion is no different from understanding the heart of Buddha himself. Therefore, today, the masters will take over the meditation to conclude the disciples’ practice.”

All the monks clasped their hands together and glared at Yu Jinsan.

When he was being hit, they had actually placed bets on him. No matter how much they thought about it, they couldn’t help but be puzzled by what had just occurred.

But how could one talk back to Monk Hye Un?

Ignoring their emotions, Yu Jinsan kneeled down as if in pain.

“Ahhh…”

Hye Un descended from the platform with a smile on his face. He looked at Yu Seol, who had innocent eyes and tugged at her ear.

“You have some good friends.”

“…”

His gaze then shifted to Yu Jinsan.

“Look here, a child who has just stepped into the world. Whose disciple are you?”

The Shaolin Temple welcomed so many disciples each year, and it wasn’t strange not to recognize someone. Yu Jinsan answered without surprise, as he was prepared for this from the Black Night Clan.

“Our master’s Buddhist name is Jeong Hae.”

Hye Un, taking a moment to think, nodded and said.

“So you are the disciple of someone who sided with the Murim Alliance. And where did you learn your martial arts from?”

Even though he had been beaten, the monk discerned that Yu Jinsan’s endurance stemmed from martial arts training.

“Jin family.”

The Jin family was a famous sect among the Murim families in Hunan and was said to have been wiped out recently due to an incident.

Did Hye Un hear the news too? He looked at Yu Jinsan with sad eyes.

“Everyone has at least one story to tell. I will keep an eye on you, so do not neglect your training.”

Yu Jinsan responded by clasping his hands.

Soon the order to disperse was given, and the monks lined up, heading to the cave.

And the newbie monks scattered.

In the meantime, Yu Jinsan returned with his granddaughter.

Was it because of his message of being from a fallen family? The eyes watching him became less, and it was easier to move.

Yu Jinsan recalled the map he had memorized and figured out the direction.

“I think it should be over there.”

As they walked at a natural pace, there were fewer people, and a forest path appeared.

In front of them stood a tower that held the relics of the past for the monks. If they just passed through this land, the repentance cave would appear.

Just when things were going smoothly, a familiar voice suddenly came.

“Where are you going? Do you not know that this place is off-limits?”

Just the voice made him realize who it was. The monk who had taken them to the training ground.

As expected, it was him again.

“Do not worry about us and leave.”

“How can I not worry? If you go in there without thinking, you will be in a huge mess.”

It was driving him insane how this small kid interfered with everything he did.

“We’ll just take a quick look and come out, so pretend you didn’t see us.”

“What? Take a quick look? Just try going in there. I’m going to the master right now to tell him everything.”

Yu Jinsan looked around and sighed. This was to confirm whether there was anyone else around.

“Fortunately, it’s just you here.”

“What do you mean?”

Because of this meddler, they had been dragged into an unplanned ordeal at the training ground.

“It is natural to return a favor. Now, we have to help you with your Iron Clothes Body training.”

“What are you talking about?”

Yu Jinsan stepped back and gave his granddaughter a signaling glance, as he could not bear to strike a child at his age. The child was already in a foul mood.

“Because of you, my grandpa was hit.”

“…?”

Her slender ankle, like a tree branch, drew a curve and kicked the newbie monk’s ankle.

Kuak!

“Kuak!”

Although it seemed as if she had hit him gently, the monk stumbled and fell, and Yu Jinsan, who was waiting, knocked him down by hitting his blood point.

He was easily suppressed, but leaving him like that was a problem.

“There’s no place to hide him around here. Should we take him with us?”

“Shall I carry him?”

Yu Jinsan shook his head and lifted the newbie monk onto his shoulder.

“No, Grandpa will carry him, so let’s go.”

They had to move a little deeper, where there were no people around. As they moved along the forest path, they could see the entrance of the forest.

Contrary to their expectations, there were no people guarding the land. No, it seemed like there was no need to. The pillars and stupas were already devastated.

‘What on earth has happened here?’

The destroyed stupas, which could have been in good condition, were shattered. And the worst part was that they were all torn down as if a mole had dug up the land.

Now, they were surrounded by ropes, preventing any closer approach.

‘Could it be that this is the work of that monk who went down the path? Well, to demolish the tombs of the great monks… he must be really insane.’

In any case, access to the cave turned out to be easier.

As they passed the tower and went further, they saw a cave in the distance.

Since they couldn’t step blindly into an unknown place, Yu Jinsan and his granddaughter hid a bit far away to survey the area.

The entrance appeared to be open, but in reality, it wasn’t.

“There are 12 Arhats hiding in the cave.”

Enlightened monks, having received the title of Arhat, possessed formidable martial skills.

Among them, those who guarded the Repentance Cave were the best of the Arhats.

At that time, Yu Seol, who was listening, shook her head.

“There are 18 people.”

And she pointed out each location where they were hiding, which made the face of Yu Jinsan turn dark.

“This will not be easy. Facing 18 Arhats is…”

Eighteen Arhat Trap Formation. It was a battle defense method performed by the 18 Arhats and was the most famous, too.

Moreover, even at first glance, it was apparent that each one was highly skilled, meaning that without Yu Seol’s help, defeating them and breaking their defense formation would take considerable time.

It was clear that if the temple was in danger, the worst could happen.

“What then?”

“We cannot allow those people to deploy the defense formation. We have to catch them off guard and take them down in one sweep.”

After organizing his thoughts, Yu Jinsan explained the plan to his granddaughter. After preparing for a while, he carried the unconscious monk on his back and then shouted.

“Help us!”

A young Taoist monk approached, causing confusion among the Arhats who were hiding.

“What is it?”

“Why did you come here?”

Yu Jinsan, after laying down the man, shouted.

“He stopped breathing!”

Following the Buddhist teaching that valued life, reprimand was a secondary concern.

Several Arhats came over and looked shocked.

“What is it?”

“He stopped breathing?”

At that moment, Yu Jinsan, who was holding the monk from behind, secretly pressed a blood point, causing the body to convulse.

“What’s happening to him?”

“Move, child. I will take a look at him.”

And the Arhats began to approach one after another.

Yu Seol continued to glare at them from behind like a crouching tiger, ready to pounce on unsuspecting sheep.